Psychic power

Psychic powers were made possible by by the conscious or unconscious manipulation of psychic energy.

History

Originally related to magic, and still understood as such in many cultures, psychic abilities survived the Time Lords' imposition of the laws of physics on the universe through being sufficiently grounded in science (NA: So Vile a Sin).

Causes of Psychic Ability

Natural Racial Abilities

Some species were innately psychically active - in some cases it was very unusual for an individual of a given species not to manifest psi-powers. These powers could be of any type - for instance, the Butterfly People appeared to be innately telepathic, (TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts) while it has been strongly implied that some Daleks possessed some degree of psychokinesis. (DW: Death to the Daleks)

In some cases it is difficult to tell whether the powers displayed by an individual were unusual for a member of their race or not. The Doctor and Susan both displayed telepathic abilities, but most Time Lords did not.

Many races had highly unusual innate abilities, but it is often difficult to tell whether these powers were truly psychic (involved the manipulation of psychic energy) or not.

Innate psychic ability in humans is rare, but not unknown. Most humans do have at least some latent psychic potential. Significant individuals (such as William Shakespeare), have shown enough latent psychic ability to see psychic paper as blank. This ability may be due to an extra synaptic engram in the brain, which has been seen in the case of individuals with mild telepathic abilities such as Tim Latimer. Torchwood 1 personnel had been given basic psychic training, also giving them this ability.

The Pyroviles also had psychic powers, and were able to give them to humans, which they did to the Sibylline Sisterhood. (DW: The Fires of Pompeii)

Mutation Due to External Factors

In species that were not normally psi-active, powers could nevertheless still appear given the right stimuli. Humans living near a Time rift may develop psychic abilities, which may vanish if the rift is sealed. Prolonged exposure to a Metebelis crystal may also result in psychic powers.

It is not known whether the psychic ability of the Daleks was a direct result of Davros's genetic manipulation, a natural result of the process of mutation, or a freak consequence of the combination of both (the original Kaleds did not appear psychically active).

Types of Psychic Ability

See individual articles for full descriptions.

Sensory Abilities

• Telepathy
• Clairvoyance (also known as Extra-Sensory Perception)
• Precognition
• Psychometry
  • Time-sensitivity: the ability to sense disruptions in time and/or reality, or to detect that a given object or person is or has been displaced in time.

Manipulative Abilities

• Psychokinesis
• Mind control

Artificial Psychic Phenomena

Psychic energy was normally only produced by living minds, which made it (and the powers utilising it) difficult to study or replicate using conventional technological means.

However, a number of devices were constructed to facilitate or mimic natural psychic powers.

• TARDISes generated a psychic field and incorporated telepathic circuits to facilitate both short- and long-range communications.
• The IRIS Machine artificially boosted the telepathic potential of Human test subjects. (DW: Planet of the Spiders)
• The Butterfly People used telepathy pendants for long-range communication. (TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts)
• The Coronet of Rassilon gave the wearer the power of mind control, even over multiple subjects simultaneously. (DW: The Five Doctors)
• In his later incarnations the Doctor routinely carried psychic paper to save time in establishing his credentials. This ploy was also used by the adventurer known as Captain Jack Harkness.